Showgirl Jemma’s Royal rendezvous

JEMMA Welsh-Robertson, 22, will be representing Goulburn and Zone 3 in The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Competition.

She is one of two representatives for our Zone, the other is Amy Minahan from Yass. The judging was held in Bega hosted by the local show society.

The two young women were selected from 12 showgirls representing the show societies from within groups six and seven.

Ms Welsh-Robertson has grown up in a cattle producing family that regularly shows their cattle at agricultural shows including Goulburn, the Royal Canberra and Sydney Royal.

As soon as she was able, she started showing cattle alongside other members of her family.

She has progressed to Australian Champion Cattle Parader in 2011.

Ms Welsh-Robertson is employed by Goulburn Mulwaree Council as a ranger and also runs her own Poll Hereford and Angus Stud and works on the family stud.

In her spare time she is involved in the education of young people in the discipline of showing cattle.

The judging of who would become the two representatives in the Sydney competition was an all-day process but over a much shorter period than the finalists will experience during the Sydney Show.

Ms Welsh-Robertson said it started out with a photo shoot and a luncheon at the heritage listed Bega function venue Thornleigh on Newton.

“During all phases of the event judges were watching and listening to how we interacted socially as well as our understanding of social etiquette,” she said.

“In the afternoon they conducted personal interviews with all 12 of us to find out more about our backgrounds and interest in the rural community.

“They also endeavoured to assess our rural knowledge, general knowledge and community involvement.”

In the evening at the presentation function the judging process continued.

This function was held in the 108 year old Bega Show Pavilion, which according to Ms Welsh-Robertson, the show society members spent countless hours repainting and decorating.

“It really was presented well and was a good venue holding over 200 guests and supporters of the candidates.”

During the evening the 12 candidates were interviewed on stage as part of the final judging of their ability and confidence in speaking to an audience.

Agricultural Societies Council vice president David Peters presented the two zone three winners with their prizes and reigning NSW Showgirl Jasmine Nixon offered words of advice to the contestants as she spoke about her time as an ambassador for the show societies and rural NSW.

Ms Welsh-Robertson and Ms Minahan, along with the 14 others, will undergo a week of assessment by a judging panel in Sydney during the week before Easter.

Their official duties will include visiting Westmead Children’s Hospital where they will hand out showbags to children unable to attend the Sydney Show.

They will also attend a couple of formal functions including one with Governor of NSW Marie Bashir.

The announcement of The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl 2013 will be made at a formal dinner on Easter Saturday March 30.

For Ms Welsh-Robertson, just like the day before the zone judging, where she was showing cattle at the Canberra Show she will similarly be involved in Sydney.

The first week of the Sydney Show she will be showing cattle and judging the Youth Heifer Fitness Challenge, a competition in which young cattle paraders up to 25 years of age are given a certain time to prepare a paddock condition heifer for showing and present it in the show ring.